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City Commission Strategic Goals and Priorities

2005

Economic Development: Promoting the economic development of Lawrence to provide varied work and business opportunities.

Key Objectives:

  • Identify industrial sites and a process to develop them.
  • Use the Southeast Area Plan to create an employment zone.
  • Move toward acquisition of the Farmland property.

Other Objectives:

  • Expand the tax base through growth of existing and new businesses.
  • Develop incentives in addition to tax abatements (add to our “tool box”).
  • Identify sources of funding for a dedicated economic development fund.
  • Develop a common understanding of what economic development is.
  • Have a city staff person focused solely on economic development.

Planned Growth: Encouraging growth that protects our environment, neighborhoods, and cultural features while benefiting all of our citizens.

Key Objectives:

  • Conclude the successful adoption of rural development standards.
  • Resolve the public improvement financing method.
  • Agree to stay within service level I in the urban growth area; be proactive about where growth will be and avoid spot zoning.
  • Amend codes to allow for traditional neighborhood development (TND).

Other Objectives:

  • Initiate a community visioning process to encourage community building.
  • Ensure that the city leads the development process; create a new model for this.
  • Expand meetings with the county, the school district, and KU.
  • Work on more cooperative projects with the county and develop a model for growth.
  • Initiate a discussion within the community about a new model of growth and its comprehensive plans. Educate the community about the differences.

CommunityBuilding: Creating social capital and celebrating our heritage.

Key Objectives:

  • Get the Carnegie Library building active.
  • Encourage the viability of the Farmers Market, including improving the facilities.

Other Objectives:

  • Have more events downtown.
  • Ensure the accountability of the police department.
  • Determine what we want to do about the Library expansion and how much it will cost.
  • Encourage KU and Haskell to be more a part of the community and the community more a part of KU and Haskell (e.g., Homecoming Parade downtown, more partnerships).
  • Develop a comprehensive plan for services to the homeless.
  • Secure adequate funding for after-school programs.
  • Keep the focus on Lawrence for the BKHA.

Environmental Issues: Integrating the environment into our decisions as we work towards a sustainable city.

Key Objective:

  • Move toward a watershed stormwater policy.

Other Objectives:

  • Evaluate and adopt an energy code.

  • Adopt an environmental chapter for Horizon 2020.
  • Require LEED standards for public buildings.
  • Continue community connectivity through bike paths, trails, and rail to trails.
  • Encourage neighborhood planning that emphasizes non-automobile access to schools and shopping.
  • Transition to pesticide-free parks and buildings.

Neighborhood Quality: Improving the livability of all Lawrence neighborhoods.

Key Objectives:

  • Institutionalize area planning.
  • Develop affordable housing through the Land Trust.

Other Objectives:

  • Coordinate with the school district regarding school sites and future uses of schools.
  • Find ways to lessen the impact of student housing on neighborhoods.
  • Explore private/public partnerships to provide affordable housing.
  • Identify key pedestrian routes and enforce snow removal of them.
  • Bring in the Neighborhood Re-investment Corporation (NRC).
  • Inventory sidewalks in neighborhoods and bring them up to standard.

Downtown Development: Protecting the integrity of downtown while maintaining it as a unique community resource.

Key Objectives:

  • Ensure that the downtown is clean and inviting (e.g., identify trees that will keep downtown cleaner).
  • Redevelop the library as an anchor for multi-use development for downtown.
  • Study the topic of alcohol issues and sidewalk dining.

Other Objectives:

  • Implement “adopt a planter” program.
  • Work with a KU class to develop a new downtown design in order to freshen the look of downtown.
  • Consider creative responses to barriers related to the Harris project.

Transportation: Improving access for all citizens.

Key Objective:

  • Build community consensus for a regional transportation plan that includes resolution of the SLT, Highway 59, and Eastern By-pass.

Other Objectives:

  • Continue work on street development standards, including alternatives to street widths.
  • Bring the “T” and KU on Wheels into better alignment.
  • Initiate a commuter bus service to Johnson County.
  • Investigate the possibility of a pedestrian bridge across the Kansas River.
  • Create a plan to increase funding for KDOT projects that benefit the community.
  • Continue to educate the community about access management. Develop consensus and policies.
  • Model bio-diesel and other renewable sources in the city’s transportation equipment.
  • Integrate the bike plan into the Capital Improvements Plan (CIP).
  • Work toward the central coordination of all street lights.

Service Delivery: Provide excellent city services consistent with resources available.

Key Objectives:

  • Streamline the process of working with the Business Retention Task Force, so that there is coordination among departments and the process is clear and consistent.
  • Adopt a performance management system.
  • Implement new building codes.

Other Objectives:

  • Purchase project management software for the planning department.
  • Improve the CIP process – set priorities and integrate the plan with goals.
  • Integrate fire station operations into the budget.
  • Explore the possibility of increased staff support or salary for city commissioners.